Lenovo Goes iPad-Size with IdeaTab S2109 Android Tablet

Although there’s no shortage of Android tablets on the market, Lenovo’s upcoming IdeaTab S2109 is rare in its use of iPad-like proportions.

The tablet, whose promotional video was spotted by SlashGear, has a 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 1024-by-768, which is the same as Apple’s older iPads. (The new iPad has a screen resolution of 2048-by-1536).

Most Android tablets are longer and narrower, with 10.1-inch displays and resolutions of around 1280-by-800. Watching video is arguably better on these tablets, since screen resolution matches the aspect ratio of an HD movie, but they’re a bit awkward to use in portrait orientation because they’re a lot taller.

Lenovo is also touting the tablet’s unibody shell–meaning that it’s made of a single piece of material–along with its “gunmetal” finish and thickness of just 0.35 inches. Other specs include a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, four speakers on the back, 10 hours of battery life, and ports for Micro USB, Micro HDMI and Micro SD. Lenovo’s promotional video doesn’t mention what processor or how much RAM the IdeaTab S2109 will be using.

For software, the IdeaTab S2109 will use Android 4.0, the latest version of Google’s operating system. I don’t see any sign of the clunky media launcher that was front-and-center in Lenovo’s IdeaPad K1.

The video also doesn’t mention pricing or a release date. Given that Apple is now selling the iPad 2 for $399, Lenovo will have to go cheaper if it wants to compete.